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Guy, I believe that there is 10.0 to 1 in the 455 in 1970. The 400 & 430 heads had smaller chambers, as I recall. Their compression ratio was a point or so higher because of this. (Actual compression probably varied somewhat.) The 455 buick block was as light as the aluminum Chevy block and had more power than the 454, 427, 428, 426, 460, or other 455s etc. Basically, Buick big blocks were the last designed by the big 3 in that era. No magic, just the latest engine design. Most of the Chevy, Pontiac, & Olds hardware consisted of warmed over designs from the 50's. New engine programs cost millions, even in the '60s. The others had literally thousands of power adder options and marketing glitz but still could not match the '70 GS 13.38 quarter mile times! Even the massive 4,700 lb Buick Electra could manage low 15s with the 430 and could became a lethal 11 second street sleeper with the right engine work. A 1970 455 STAGE 1 GS Convertible Buick is the most collectable. 430 cars are not GS cars, are obscure and not appreciated. A super rare 430 dealer option 1968 & 1969 Stage I or II (yeah that's right! In the '60s, 400 & 430 Stage I & II options were based on the cam, heads would come in 1969 for the 1970 model year and the 455 only. Stage II heads came even later, '71 I think!)would be very very valuable in any body it came in. Good luck with your search. What are you looking for?

John, Thanks for putting up the photos of the engine compartment and answering Guy's 455/430 question. There have been many debates over which engine actually performed better. 430 has a top end advantage and fuel economy versus the low end torque of the 455. Basically the same block with a different bore. I will now have an opportunity to investigate the performance of both types in detail as I own both a 1969 and 1970 in both fairly stock condition. Greg, I have always admired that 1960 LeSabre and the wonderful article descibing the sustained high speed capabilities of the 1960 model. The '70 coupe, Janine, ran 10 laps at Watkins Glen last week. Some in-car video will be available for your enjoyment soon. Your '60 brings back memories of the first Buick I can really remember, a 1959 Electra 225. Your cars are really beautiful! I shall work to keep my Electras in as good a condition. Michael

John, I think that you are right. Tom Wagner told me that our cars may have some control issues at speeds over 130 mph. He has been spending a lot of time at high speeds in a 1969 Wildcat and build a Buick 455 for a Firebird doing Bonneville. I want to be safe. The "deflector" will help stabilize the rear when we finally exceed 160mph. We are doing some "under the car" aerodynamics as well. Thanks again.

Investigation: GSX rear wing does not match any airfoil section that I can find in NACA, NASA, or manufacturer records . Maybe its not an airfoil at all! It actually looks like an old NASA (HC-10?) lifting body to me. You remember, the one from the "Six Millian Dollar man" that crashes in the beginning of each episode? Perhaps this is why it has such an agressive downward angle of attack. If it was modelled after the old 1960's lifting bodies, it would have a tendency to provide a lot of lift even at very low or negative angles of attack. Does any GSX weinie out there know what this "wing" is and how it responds to varied angles of attack? I am in the midst of cardboard modelling. The mockup on the car looks really wild because the spoiler comes off the back of the Electra in its current configuration. The Skylark based GSX spoiler is not so far to the rear because of where the fenders break downward. This point is further forward than the Electra. Some photos to come soon.

John, Good catch for the Electra 225 group!

John, I took a few laps of the 3.41 mile Watkins Glen International Raceway in my 1970 SF Code 225 Coupe. Roberta is helping me to get that accessable to you and others. We will video the Faithful Pursuit and get a DVD together that will help us raise $$$ for our 2005 September Nevada run. What things would you and others like to see in such a DVD? Also, the spoiler is coming along well. Lots of aircraft aluminum was aquired since the GSX spoiler requires such radical changes. Thanks for the input!

Hey, The 1984 is a really nice formal sedan that would really impress a lot of people with the things you have done to it. I race Buick Electras, usually 1969s . People rarely see that sort of action and they are really surprised to see the big boxy stuff move fast. I suggest that you look up people with the BCA and GSCA in your area. They do not have to be next door for you to build a good network. Do you like to Street Machine or Rod, drag or road race? Anywhere you go your car will be unique and will attract attention once people figure out whats up, that is if you want them to.

Jsheib, We will be going on October 6th. This may be subject to some changes. We are working through the BMW Club and club member Roy Hopkins, our driver. Also, I ran about 10 laps at Watkins this Thursday, part of "Kid's Day" in another Electra and re-familiarized myself with the track somewhat at highway speeds. Best Regards,

John, Thanks for posting photos of my 1970 Buick Electra 225 Custom Coupe. I really like Jane Fox and her Fox Auto Group. She does a lot of commercials here locally and I think has a very positive image. I know that times are changing and our American people demand the foreign stuff but its refreshing to see a Buick dealer that actually sells Buicks/Pontiacs/Cadillacs and promotes them on the front row at that location. The '70s nickname is Janine and she is special. This car belonged to a veteran in Lancaster, SC. The leather key case has a veteran's identification number in the event the keys were ever lost. The case was in, strangely enough, the same condition as the car, old yet new. The old man was an auto wholesaler and rarely drove this car. The owner died about 4 years ago and left this world without having driven this car more than 16K miles. It clicked 20K a few months ago. It was too far for me to travel so I had a local BCA member check it out for me in SC. When it arrived I was shocked and disappointed. Obviosly the car had been repainted to somehow look original. My heart sank and guts felt kicked in. You know the feeling. Either I had been conned or it was really somehow original. No scratches, no dents, unreal top, & interior. The gaskets were soft and the glass looked new, like the windows were never down. I pulled off the skirts, they were so clean I laid them on my leather coat. My body man looked at her then looked at me and asked me "How many original low mileage cars have you seen before?" Not many I answered. "What you have here is called a SURVIVOR" "Its all original" "See, here are the crowns in the paint, these raised ridges" What was that, I asked as he pointed to the edges of the doors and trunk. "It shows that the car has never been buffed out before." "Its all original, its a survivor" he said again. The next week I put it up on a lift and was amazed at the condition. Some chipped paint and surface rust but really clean. It had those funny looking old twisted shocks but drove really tight. Hmm. The neighbor who had bought the car after the old soldier died said the owner told him that "she was always hand washed and dried. Never machine washed." "He'd put baby oil on her after a wash" I remembered. "Never driven in the rain" "Always garaged" "It was driven out of the county one time." She sat in a used car lot on consignment for a couple of months and when I showed interest on E-Bay they stored it indoors. When the car was sold to the neighbor about 3 or so years ago, he figured on making it safe to drive. It had sat for a good while when the owner got sick. His boys would follow the washing and oiling ritual as I still do today but it was not driven for awhile. All the reciepts add up to about three or four in total, perhaps ever. All recent hoses, belts, plugs, & wires. Some old dry cleaning or other reciept from years and years ago thrown in. Original brake shoes. They went to give it a brake job because the cylinders had frozen. Well they pulled off the drums and the shoes were still new so they left them on! The tires were original bias ply so they figured those were unsafe and got rid of them. The rims showed where the hub caps were pulled off only 3 or 4 times, including when I put the Sport Wheels on, perhaps a tire change or rotations I guess. Tom Wagner races a 1969 Buick Wildcat and lives nearby. He helped me set the timing and dwell. I took her to the track and ran a 16.214 at 85.68mph. She beat a Lincoln Continental Mark VII with the fuel injected Mustang engine running 16.356 @ 85.68. I had picked up .5 sec after Toms tune up. Janine was a very impressive sight under those New York International Speedway Lights. She cruised home and got about 17+ mpg. Good girl!

55ParkardGuy, Thanks for the compliments. The Electra GSX will take all challengers, Hemi or otherwise, to the track. This car was developed for sustained high speed, 150+mph for 100 miles. Developed to cope with Watkins Glen and similar road courses, it was intended for very limited street use. It was not really designed for the strip but can perform well there once properly geared, tuned, and prepped with the proper shocks and springs. I drove the Faithful Pursuit today and it really is a brute compared to its former Electra 225 self. It is pure rock hard, sinew, bone, & muscle! She really growls through 3.5" in 3.5" out Edelbrock SS racing mufflers. Last week one of the guys on the job said the Electra GSX will be hitting the show circuit and not see any action particularly on the street. The guy is a hard core old school MOPAR street rodder and he's not dumb. I told him she may look like a pretty Buick Electra on the outside but Shaw and Machuga built the chassis. I could tell by the way his eyes opened up, he knew it was built to road race, no ST! I can't wait to outrun my first Porsche at Watkin's Glen here locally! Then on to Nevada! God Speed,

Buick "Electra GSX" Fans: Thanks for your support over the years. I really appreciate it when you check on our efforts from time to time. I was really pleased when our hits reached "225" and now they are more than "5555"! That is amazing! I never expected such a positive response or notes from service people on duty in the Middle East! Buick people sure are "faithful"! I will keep punching through these tough times to make our 2005 date with destiny in Nevada! Thanks! http://www.carcraft.com/eventcoverage/116_0402_slvr/ It was a great pleasure hosting "BUICK RACER" Roberta Vasilow, BCA Officer, and her mom, at Tim Putman's Auto shop yesterday in Beaver Dams, New York. We looked over the body work and the panel alignments at the heart of Tim's fabulous paint work. Roberta was pleased with the engine as we fired up the Guadagno prepared STAGE I for her. We are running the Lunati SP-1 with 3.5"/3.5" SS Edelbrock Rebuildable Mufflers. Plenty of rumble! We looked at the progress of the custom made one off GSX spoiler that Doug was finish sanding at the shop. The spoiler ends are coming together nicely. The ends are from a '70 GSX spoiler and the center is from a '69 GSX spoiler. Both of these came from Poston. The center section will stand alone and actuate. Once the spoiler has been mounted in the next couple of weeks, we can paint the stripe, FINALLY! Wow! This is going to be great ! Roberta recognized the license plate "332FGP47" and knew the "P47" was a World War Two Fighter plane, the largest, heaviest, most powerful piston engined fighter of WW II, the awesome "P-47 Thunderbolt". My Electra GSX is the Rolling Thunderbolt, the Faithful Pursuit! She noted that she saw the HBO movie "The Tuskegee Airmen" last week. The 332FG stands for the Tuskegee Airmen's 332nd Fighter Group. There were four combat squadrons in the group under the command of the late General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. during WWII, the 99th, 100th, 301st, & 302nd. General Davis visited my Atlanta Chapter of Tuskgee Airmen, Inc. many times and autographed several books for me back in the early 1990's. Roberta and her mom were here for the BCA meet in Buffalo a couple of years ago just before Gary Shaw of "Shaw Racing" died in September 2002. Gary, local Motorsports Hall of Famer, was narrowing the frame and figuring out the rear suspension geometry that summer. Roberta, thanks for all of your help and support with this project over the past 10 or so years!!! Thanks for visiting Roberta and have a safe trip back to the Motor City! God Speed! PS: SMARTIN thanks for posting Roberta's photo. Also, CHECK OUT SMARTIN'S SERIOUS WHITE BUICK CONVERTIBLE! Your BUICK BUGLE has a super nice '70 Electra 225 Custom Convertible that is featured on www.electra225.com Its Greg Cockrill's car.

TA Performance www.taperformance.com has what you need to make your Buick 350 light your fire. The are supplying parts to racers with nearly 500 hp Buick 350s. God Speed!

Shakadula, Referring to: ""When you say "known high pressure leak" what do you mean? I don't have any leaks and I think the pressure is fine. I just can't monitor it."" This means, if you expect to see oil when you pull out a plug in the oil pressure hole, remove your oil pressure guage, or anything that could POTENTIALLY result in a rapid loss of oil pressure, this is what I meant. Sorry for the confusion. Buicks are sensitive to having rapidly diminishing oil pressure. Although your pressure is probably fine now, it may be in a danger range as your engine becomes hotter or under high load. It would be good to know what it is at start- up and how it changes with varied RPMs and as temperature increases. You see, not only does your oil viscosity lessen but the aluminum cover expands relative to the steel gears and your engine warms up, this may cause oil pressure reduction. Tom Wagner, 1969 Wilcat owner running at 11.7 sec in the QTR, indicated that this can be a problem with extended driving. This is why my Scotty Guadagno built "Intimidator" STAGE I has the new TA Performance cover and oil pump. It was costly but, with a fresh engine I spent lots of hard earned money for I figured it was worth it. The pressure is also ajustable. (Look up oiling on Electa GSX Road Racer.) I hope this helps!

Shakadula, Breaking through some sort of blockage IS dangerous. As I noted earlier, do not run a Buick with a known high pressure leak. (Especially 400-430-455) At this point I am more interested in what are the root causes. Do you have a relationship with the engine builder where he could come over and look at this with you? Can you review the reciepts and have him detail what was done and why? Good luck,

Shakadula, Yeah '67 GS 400, I remember those. Really sharp, can outrun the same year GTO, trick "Starwars" air cleaner. Excellent investment potential. Hmmmm. The one thing Buick people do not want to hear is "I removed the oil fitting from the block and started the car." The good news perhaps is "No oil came out of where the sending unit or fitting screws into the block." In any case, this may be bad for several reasons. Do not start a Buick engine with a suspected high pressure oil leak.Oiling issues are very critical in any engine. Buick has some special needs in the 400-430-455 series due to the large mains, aluminum oil pump wear, narrow passages, etc. Make a list of all of your concerns. Talk to the owner and ask them to take you through what they did and why. Be patient but firm. Find out why the passage was blocked. Asking "Why was the engine not painted in Buick Red?" may be a good ice breaker. The responses may indicate if the shop is familiar with Buicks of certain years only. I admit that without much information it is tough to tell what happened or more importantly what will happen to your engine over time. Ok, Ok, so now I have you a bit worried, but that is ok. We can talk you through this because many of us have been there. Now, figure out everything that is out of place or not quite right and let us know. Hang in there!

Alex, Thanks for the great comments! As I am not a body man I cannot just tell you all the stuff Tim laid on me as he was doing this job. Lots of "Secrets that you'll never use because you're not thinking of going into auto body...are you?" Kind of stuff! Basically, there were about 3 - 4 prime/body leveling stages. The paint was applied in two stages. The stock Crystal Blue Code D with the addition of a clear coat. It looks really awesome under the flourescent lights at the Wings of Eagles hanger. Tim Putman and his right hand man, Doug, worked 5 weeks straight about 5 to 6 days a week, 7 to 8 hours a day on her for her debut back on April 24th. There is more to that paint and body than meets the eye. We measured panel gaps, left in certain factory flaws, bent body panels, to give the illusion of a "concours" "factory appearing" one off custom job. The GSX hood scoops are incredible. Roberta V. will be here in a few days to give her view. My thanks to Tim Putman!

This is a really nice site with stock and custom Buicks in a wide range of years. There is one white 1969 Buick Electra convertible listed as a "1968 Buick Convertible" Lots of nice stuff from the 40's, 50's, etc. http://carnut.com/photo/list/_buk40m.html

Decembro, I tried cleaning the MAF sensor with some alcohol and a cotton swab. This was probably a bad move for a couple of reasons however. The sensor works by heating the wire and evaluating a differential temperature as the air flows through it, if memory serves. The wire appeared to be in the form of a very very fine coil and the slightest mechanical cleaning action disturbed it from its position. Perhaps some sort of agitation or vibratory cleaner would be good. Also, there may be a question of the metal degrading at the molecular level which could also account for continued poor performance after cleaning. In any case the errors cleared after installation of the new unit and MouseR was back to her old self again. There was another error that popped up during my run to NYC this weekend. It stayed for the trip in but was clear on the return trip. A couple of triple digit passes under load did not make it come back on again, so that is a good sign. The buddy of mine that had the diagnostic setup could not come with me so I am still in the dark on what's really going on. For me, as perhaps with most of you, there is not substitute for actual performance under load. The racetack provides the safest means of evaluating performance. There are many good performance calculators out there and I'm sure they work okay but there is no substitute for a quarter, flying mile, etc., etc. God speed

Roberta, I race at New York International Raceway Park at Mount Morris, NY. It used to be known as Empire Dragway in the old days! The track is 1.5 hrs north of Corning off 390, near Rochester, NY. Some Buicks come from nearby Rochester to join me in roasting Mustangs occasionally. Sure, it would be great to have you visit in July! Just let me know when and I'll make sure to be around. The Electra GSX spoiler is being fabbed now and should be attached, if not functional, by the time you get here. Best wishes, Michael Joseph, II

I replaced the Mass Air Flow sensor with a new Delco unit. The 3800 Series II really woke up. It has not given me a "torque steer" launch in 40K miles! I look forward to going back to the track and seeing if she is indeed back in the mid 15s. We will run some diagnostics on her and download to a friend's lap top on my way to NYC this weekend. If she checks out A-OK, we'll take her to the track next weekend if the weather holds.

I love looking at the Faithful Pursuit and believe that the design concept is coming together pretty well after all these years. Honestly, I have often thought about changing the colors over the years to something more racy. There was a black and gold version back in 1978-9. A pure blue concept was drawn up too. Every time I felt in a really extroverted mood, the military insignias would come back on. She actually looks more like Air Force One than most custom built racecars! A key design feature that will cement the "look" I desire is the Faithful Pursuit's spoiler. An "Electra" version was never made so a combination of both the 1968-69 and 1970 - 72 Skylark versions of the GSX rear wing was developed by me in the late 1970's. Both spoilers were obtained through POSTON. It turns out that the 1969 Skylark version is a little wider and flatter than the 1970. The center section of the 1969 spoiler will be used because it is easier to manage the transition on both sides where it will be extended. Remember that the spoiler will be active, meaning that not only will it be adjustable it will actively change its angle of attack to provide required downforce and reduce excessive drag. There will be rigidly mounted ends from the 1970 version and a movable 1969 center section. Do you remember the retractable headlights from the 1966 Riviera? This is the setup where the lights themselves retracted and not the covers! A gearbox from a 1966 Riviera's headlights will actuate the spoiler. A rough draft of the design is with Tim Putman and the cut lines were placed in the spoilers by me. We cut the spoilers next week.

John, If you think that's a coincidence, I knew the Ranger's skipper, Admiral Walter J. Davis. He was the last Admiral to fly a fighter, F-14, off his own ship! (I mentioned this connection because Admiral Davis was very active with the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.'s East Coast Chapter back in the 80's. I never talked to Don about his Navy service, although having once been a designer for Gibbs & Cox, I would have been interested. I have no idea if Don knew Admiral Davis or if that was where he made the link with the Airmen.) John, my condolences to you and his many friends!

Smartin, Thanks for putting these photos up so quickly for me! Directly above, there are a few pictures of Don's plane. The P-51 Mustang powered by the amazing 1500HP Rolls Royce/Packard "Merlin" Engine was the fastest "production" piston engined fighter plane of the war. The American firm Packard manufactured the engine under license agreement with the English Rolls Royce company. There is nothing like the sound of that powerful v-12 and the Supercharger whine that goes with it! A Mustang could out climb, out turn, out range, and out fight almost every fighter the Nazi's had, except for the new jets and rocket planes they developed. The twin engined jet fighter was more than 50 miles per hour faster in level flight and its 20mm cannon could blow a B-17's wing off at the root with one burst of its massed 20mm cannon in its nose! Back in 1990 or so, the late Freddie Hutchens, told me about this one mission he went on to the Benz tank works in Berlin back in March of 1945. (Freddie shot down two Nazi fighers in combat over Europe.) They were escorting 15th Strategic Air Force heavy bombers, B-17s to "plaster the target". Another fighter outfit was supposed to take over for them enroute because the mission was too long for one fighter outfit to do it alone. The other fighters did not show up at the rendezevous point and The Tuskegee Airmen made the decision to fly the whole mission even though they knew they would probably run out of fuel! "Within 50 miles of the Daimler Benz target, 30 ME 262 and ME 163 jet fighter dived into our formation to attack the bombers. Our P-51s fought back, destroying three Me 262 and probably destroying two more 262s and one ME-163 in a 5 minute encounter..." (Quote from Four Star General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.'s book, "B.O. Davis, American")No bombers were ever lost to enemy fighters while under Tuskegee Airmen escort! No other group before or since can make that claim. Freddie told me "we returned running on vapors, our tanks nearly dry after a 1555 mile mission. That was a long ass mission!" The Tuskegee Airmen received the Distinguished Unit Citation for that mission. 1. Really cool professional aerial shot. 2. The only 2 surviving flyable P-51s at Tuskegee Field, Alabama. Just before takeoff. 3. My buddy Tommy Tyndall, 99th Pursuit Squadron Fighter Pilot, next to Don's plane. (Tommy is in a photo with the Faithful Pursuit that I'll show later.) 4. National Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. president, Brian Smith, on right and me with Don's plane in the background. I could not find a nice picture of Don himself. He tended to put himself in the background and let the plane do the talking. I remember him running around a lot getting the aircraft ready for some photos the day I took these photographs. Also, I drove my 1996 Riviera to the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. convention with the license plate 332FGP47. 332nd Fighter Group, P-47 Thunderbolt. P stands for Pursuit. The Thunderbolt was actually the first red tailed escort fighter the Airmen used in WWII, not the Mustang shown here. This was a great loss of an individual, next to which the aircraft means little. Don, if he had lived could have built another. He had the know how and the charisma to raise a million bucks and get the job done. We will never have another Don Hinz!

John, This was indeed sad news. I knew Don Hinz slightly and met him and his wife Pat back in 2002 at the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. convention held in Atlanta. I took some photos of his plane in Tuskegee, Alabama while wearing a WWII airman's uniform. I'll dig them out. Earlier this year I asked Don if he could bring his plane to our event but it was really expensive, like $4,000 for the day. It cost a lot to fly it in and back and would take a few days, hence the cost. Aviation fuel ain't cheap! Don's amazing accomplishment took 10 years and over $750,000.00!!! He raised money and built an organization to support his efforts after his retirement. He was 60 but so pumped on what he was doing he looked 45! It is a testimony to being able to do what you put your mind to! May God Speed you to glory Don in your Faithful Pursuit,

Yo Deuce, I have had many '69 Electras but I have not had lining wear issues yet. I currently own 2 1969s and a 1970. I have owned 5 1969 Coupes and one convertible. A couple of '70 coupes and a '68 sedan for parts. Option 1 is: My 1969 Buick Electra GSX "Faithful Pursuit" road racer uses Forged Billet Willwood calipers on discs front and rear. This is an option but it can be expensive. I also have the rare front disk brake option on my '69. See page 2. http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/showflat....part=2&vc=1 Option 2 is: RRS, Revelation Racing Supplies attn: Tony Gentilcore +61 2 9581 9578 tony@mako.com.au He has a "bolt on" disk brake conversion kit for full size Buicks (1961-1970) He is a Buick Club of America Member . This is still more than $400 but you may be happier in the long run as parts are available here! God Speed,